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Month: October 2017

  • Avoiding emotional relocation turmoil

      Reader Question: We want to be avoiding emotional relocation turmoil. A job-related move to a new community is in our near future. We have friends that made such a move, and with some bad advice they ended up in a marginal neighborhood. What can we do to prevent a similar mistake? Monty’s Answer: There are…

  • Should we have a fifteen-year loan versus a 30-year term?

    Reader Question: Choosing a fifteen-year loan versus a 30-year term is advice we often see from financial experts or mortgage lenders. We also find information about a home buyer saving until they can make a twenty percent down payment when they buy a home. The experts that proffer this advice confuse us, as we are not…

  • Ten kinds of real estate agents

    Reader Question: We are downsizing and considering different lifestyles once we sell our home. We do not recall the different kinds of real estate agents in the market today. Is it just us, or are there more kinds of real estate agents? Monty’s Answer: There are more real estate agents with a specialized practice today…

  • One of real estate’s biggest myths

      Reader Question: The relo counselor is telling me I will lose the relocation benefits if I list my home for more than ten percent above the average of two appraisals. This seems like one of real estate’s biggest myths. Their argument is this rule will ultimately help the home sell at a higher price, which…

  • Four steps to fill vacant retail space

    Reader Question: I have vacant retail space. I own an 8000 square foot retail building fronting on a street with a 15,000 daily car count. The building is brick and block with a retail glass front, and about 60 years old. The parking is adequate. Two tenants occupy the building. One pays about $14.00 per square…